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I’ve been reading quite a bit about the benefits of coconut oil. It’s some pretty cool stuff if I do say so myself. It’s a great alternative to Crisco for baking or canola oil for cooking. You can use it in lip balms, as a hair treatment or for homemade soaps. It’s a versatile ingredient in many recipes and can be used as part of a beauty treatment regimen. Check out the uses below:

Baking

  • Use instead of vegetable oils in baked goods (you can also use applesauce in lieu of vegetable oils)
  • Use as a spread on toast instead of butter

Beauty

  • Make homemade lip balm
  • Make homemade soaps
  • Mix with cinnamon and oatmeal to make a face scrub
  • Mix with a few drops of lavender oil for use as massage oil for tired, achy or sore muscles
  • Mix with nutmeg and use on blemishes
  • Use to prevent stretch marks for pregnant mothers
  • Use on color-treated hair as an extra conditioning hair treatment
  • Use to help smooth wrinkles and shrink pores
  • Use as a base to make your own homemade deodorant (I have a recipe for this)
  • Use as a hand moisturizer
  • Hair Conditioner/Deep Treatment – use as a leave in hair conditioner by applying a teaspoon of coconut oil to your ends and then running your fingers through your hair to distribute the rest! For a deeper treatment, rub in a tablespoon of coconut oil onto your dry scalp and gently work through to the ends. Put a shower cap on to prevent transfer onto bed linens and leave on overnight.
  • Hair Gel/Defrizzer – rub a little between your palms and either scrunch into hair (for curly hair) or finger comb in through from scalp to ends (for wavy/straight hair).
  • Body scrub – mix coconut oil and sugar together and rub all over! Rinse off and your skin will be super soft! You can add in essential oils if you would like a specific smell.

Miscellaneous

  • Massage into your dog’s skin to help with dandruff and itchy skin
  • Wipe your plants’ leave with it for a natural shine
  • Clean hands and brushes after using oil-based paint

I pulled this information from various sources across the internet. Here are a few more links with TONS of additional uses: